2011 Caribbean HIV Conference Speakers Announced – Conference provides free venue for HIV stakeholders in the Caribbean to network and to hear from some of the most well-respected names in HIV

Distinguished experts, public officials, and HIV community members will come together at the 2011 Caribbean HIV Conference (November 18-21) to focus on HIV in the Caribbean, where adult HIV prevalence is higher than in any region in the world outside of Sub-Saharan Africa (UNAIDS 2010 Global Report). Individuals from across the Caribbean are invited to attend this free conference to hear directly from authorities on the medical, social, and socio-political factors influencing the HIV epidemic in this region. Featured speakers and session moderators will include, among others:

The Honorable Hubert A. Ingraham, Prime Minister of The Bahamas

The Honorable Sarah Wescot-Williams, Prime Minister of St. Maarten

Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, United States

This event is the third Caribbean HIV conference in the past decade, and it is designed to build on successes of the previous events, which demonstrated that regional cooperation and collaboration are key to confronting HIV in the Caribbean. The multidisciplinary forum is designed to support local interests and education and is open to anyone who would like to attend, including:

people living with HIV members of vulnerable groups researchers and clinicians allied health care professionals caregivers patient advocates advocates for social justice and health parity members of community- and faith-based organizations regional and international governmental representatives policy analysts and decision makers civil society and regional media representatives

“The conference provides a unique opportunity for attendees with diverse perspectives and backgrounds to share, learn, and network,” said Conference Co-Chair Daisy M. Gely, Professor, Medical Sciences Campus, University of Puerto Rico. “It provides a venue in which to examine the many factors influencing HIV in the Caribbean in order to move forward collectively in our effort to prevent the spread of HIV, mitigate its impact in the region, and improve our overall response.”